The International Criminal Court is examining holding the trial for the only suspect held for atrocities in Congo in the African nation, rather then The Hague in Netherlands. Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese warlord accused of conscripting child soldiers, was arrested in the capital city, Kinshasa, during a crackdown following the murder and mutilation of nine U.N. peacekeepers. He allegedly forced children to undergo training for the armed wing of the Union of Congolese Patriots in order to kill members of rival tribes.
Deputy prosecutor for the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, said that “we are always in favor of bringing justice closer to the victims.” By holding the trial in the Congo, it is believed that victims will have a wider and closer relationship to efforts at reconciliation. According to Human Rights Watch, “the people would very much welcome that because for them the ICC is very far away,” adding that “they have the impression that the whole process is quite remote.” Opponents note that conflicts have escalated in the region where the atrocities have occurred and may hamper the ICC's efforts. They also fear uprisings in response to Lubanga's singular indictment, despite widespread atrocities by many groups. While Lubanga is the only suspect in custody, arrest warrants have been issued for a Sudanese government minister complicit in the Darfur genocide, as well as the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony.
In other African news, more than half of the witnesses questioned in the war crimes tribunal for Desire Munyaneza – a rebel leader allegedly responsible for attacks on Tutsi minorities in the Rwandan genocide – positively identified him as leading or taking part in weaponized rape and murder. Witnesses testified seeing Munyaneza leading a rebel group on a days-long campaign of rape and murder. He was charged under the Canadian War Crimes Act, which allows prosecution of suspected war criminals for atrocities committed abroad. Canada was previously criticized for providing safe-haven for many war criminals, including many for Nazi soldiers. He was arrested in Toronto in 2005.
